The Martian Notifier: Connected Simplicity (Review) @Martianwatches

Thank you Apple! The Apple watch has single-handedly thrusting the smartwatch and connected devices in general to the fore front of the consciousness of the general populace. Those not in the know may think that the Apple watch is the only option out there, but those who know understand that there are a plethora of options when it comes to smartwatches on the market. While offerings from Apple, Samsung, and Pebble dominate the talk tech scene and retail shelves, one of the most unique offerings is from Martian Watches.

Cutting their teeth in the connected devices with their initial release of their Voice Command line of smartwatches, the company came back a few months ago with an updated line dubbed the Notifier. The line strips out the voice functions of the Voice Command line and focuses heavily on notifications. Over all the experience with the Martian Notifier has been almost exactly what we’ve been looking for in a smartwatch. Lets take a closer look at our experience.

The Style

One of the most unique features of the Martian line is that it is a fully functioning watch. The combination of a traditional watch face and the embedded LCD screen make for a very functional timepiece when it comes to ones wardrobe. The watch face itself isn’t very large ( at least for most men). The bezel is very simplistic and allows the Notifier to work well when coordinated with everything from a casual outfit to a suit and tie. The watch comes with standard silicon watch band and can be replaced with any standard watch band. Overall, the Martian Notifier offers a sleek and simple design.

The Software

The watch itself is managed by companion apps that are installed on the tethered smartphone. The apps are simple to use in activating (and deactivating) the applications that you want to notify you on the Notifier. The app allows notifications from all basic system functions (mail, calendar, phone, & sms) and a host of other apps including popular social networks, news, sports, and many more.

The watch software itself work great, especially after the latest firmware update. Previous to the update, the LCD ticker only showed sender and subject for email. Now it delivers the previously mentioned information plus a portion of the message as well. This extra information can be really useful in a pinch.

The Battery Life

As an everyday watch the Martian Notifier works great. The normal watch face runs off of a standard watch battery. With this being case, it should last you about two years. The LCD screen is charged via a micro USB port on the side of the watch. While using an almost proprietary connector, it charges relatively quickly with the charge lasting varying lengths of times depending on the frequency of your notifications. During times of heavy notifications, the watch had to be charged every 2-3 days. When notifications were light the watch only needed to be charged once a week at best.

The Cons

While the plastic build of the Martian Notifier provides a sleek and simplistic design, it is not as durable as on not expect. Maybe we are just harder on watches than the normal guy, but a few weeks after we started wearing the watch, on of the corners broke off. Now this wasn’t something that a healthy dab of super glue couldn’t fix but over the last few months since, cracks have developed in two of the other corners. as well

The beauty of the Notifier is that you can get all of your notifications at a glance, this also in some ways can leave some yearning for more. With more robust platforms available from other competitors, sometimes you just cant help to want the Martian to do more. However, if you really want a smartwatch that does “more” then the Martian Notifier is definitely not for you. Lastly, this will only reflect the sentiments of a few but there isn’t any support for platforms outside of Android and iOS. Is a Windows Phone app really that hard to do?

The Final Verdict

The Martian Notifier is a device that is a watch first and a smart watch second. As its name implies, it excels at giving notifications a glance and doing so in a sleek and simplistic fashion. While not as feature rich as other smartwatches, the Notifier offers a unique and stylish timepiece at a reasonable price that will keep you connected to your digital world.

More information about Martian’s complete line of watches can be found at MartianWatches.com

Share this:

Like this:

Published by websterstyle

Elden is the founder of WebsterStyleMagazine.com, a digital magazine that caters to the new urban male by spotlighting the best attributes of the new urban male's interests and passions.
View all posts by websterstyle